The extraction of live rockets from rocket launch tubes in the event that the rockets are unlaunched or their motors misfire presents some unique problems which the present invention seeks to solve, and which have not been successfully dealt with in the known prior art.
For example, some rockets have spider plates attached to the exhaust end of the rocket motor and such plates include a crossbar which is spaced too closely to the adjacent wall of the spider plate to serve effectively as a hand grip. The fingers of personnel attempting to grip the spider plate crossbar will not, in some cases, fit between the bar and adjacent wall. Also, because rockets of the type and size for which this tool is intended to be used weigh about 188 pounds each, then understandably to withdraw such a rocket from the launch tube requires overcoming a significant amount of friction between the rocket and its tube.
As a result of the above and in the absence of any suitable gripping bar, inconvenient, time-consuming and sometimes hazardous procedures are resorted to for extracting rockets from launch tubes. Such hazardous procedures include using a wooden pole or beam to push from the front of a launcher tube to dislodge the rocket, after effecting retraction or deflection of the associated rocket retaining detent components. Another hazard is attempting to dislodge the rocket by undue elevating of the launcher whereby the heavy rocket or rockets suddenly dislodge, falling down onto the unprepared soldier before he can attach a suitable lifting sling. Where the rocket contains live components, these haphazard procedures can be extremely dangerous.
Accordingly, it is the objective of the present invention to provide a simplified, convenient and safe device for use in extracting live rockets from launch tubes with a minimum of physical effort, and preferably while the launch tubes are not elevated.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hand-held and hand-operated device which can engage and grip the crossbar of the spider plate at the exhaust end of the rocket motor in order to extract the rocket with a straight pull along the axis of the rocket.
A further important object of the invention is to provide a rocket extraction device which can be operated with one preferably gloved hand and whose gripping jaws are moved into closed gripping engagement with the crossbar of a rocket spider plate by a simple squeezing or gripping action applied to the device by the hand and fingers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a rocket extraction device of the above-mentioned type whose pivoted gripping jaws are normally biased open and are closed by the camming action of a finger grip bar of the device with cooperative cam faces provided on extensions of the jaws, the arrangement being such that the greater the pressure applied by the user of the device to the finger grip bar, the stronger will be the gripping action of the jaws of the device on the bar member which the jaws are engaging.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following description.